"I have never ranched for the money; it pays more grit than dollars. It is more for the feeling of a rain after a year-long drought, standing in the mud where the pasture was, laughing so loud and hard they could hear me in town. More for the pride of saving a newborn calf's life that even the vet said would not suckle. More for the huge knot that ties in my stomach when walking up to the seller's window at an auction barn. The knowing that the barbed wire scars will fade,

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"We cannot be sure of having something to live for unless we are willing to die for it." -Che Guavera

"Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as you are working for the Lord and not for man." -Colossians 3:23

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Tough times don't last. Tough people do.

Farmer's Tribute

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Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Factory Farms and the Misleading Media

The United States beef cow inventory is at the lowest that it has been since 1958 and the average herd size and number of producers continues to decline. The average American is at least 3 generations removed from the farm - with some being even farther! It is not hard to see how easily the mission as agriculturalists can be misconstrued. Small farms across the country are beginning to vanish, while larger operations are stepping up to the plate to feed the growing population.

Above is a picture of our barn from the early 1900's. The three pictures below it are the same barn, today.

While I could go on all day about the farming lifestyle and heritage, I'll keep it short and sweet. My brother and I are the seventh generation on our family farm in Maryland, and while I am away (far away.) for school right now, I can only pray that one day I can return to our farm. While the farming tradition may be dying as a whole across our country, I can tell with great certainty that in the families that the heritage remains, it runs deep. I grew up in a rural community with several of our closest family friends also coming from a farming background - and it won't be going anywhere, anytime soon, the good Lord willing.

Unfortunately in today's day and age American farm families are, in most cases, very misunderstood. "Factory Farming" is becoming a buzz word in the media and nearly 100% of the time misrepresents the ideals behind large-scale farming. This term is most often heard when referring to dairy farms, but hog facilities, chicken operations, and even beef feedlots have been referred to as "Factory Farms." These farms, although on a large scale, are family ran operations. They are still America's family farms! Read this article, "Factory Farming" on the Plows and Cows website, about the misleading conceptions from the media on the American Agriculture industry and primarily the battles the dairy industry is faced with today.

"...then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers, forever."